St Joseph's Church Kindergarten & Gremlin's Bleeding Chin

Following Gremlin's fall at the ice-skating ring, Seabloke had asked the principal of the school for details of what actually happened that day. She got none. The principal was merely interested in indemnifying Seabloke for the medical expenses she's incurred.

Gremlin later shared that after she fell, and tried to get up, the younger twin, together with another 6-year-old, had come to her aid, and the 3 kids then skated along the edge of the ring, holding on to whatever they could grab hold of for support, to get Gremlin out of the ring. The principal, and 2 other teachers were SKATING IN THE RING. What Gremlin said was consistent with accounts Seabloke gathered from the other kids who saw Gremlin fall. NO TEACHERS CAME FORWARD TO HELP. The younger twin seemed to be the only one watching over her sister!

What I found truly unbelievable was that the first words uttered by the principal when Seabloke approached her was that Gremlin had fallen herself (yes, we know you didn't push her!). And days after the incident, she just wanted to know how much Seabloke had forked out to get her daughter stitched up so the school could pay her back.

Seabloke doesn't want money. She wants answers!

Since she couldn't get them from the principal, she wrote in to a few agencies, and sent a mail to Rev. Edmund of the kingdergarten as well.

There was a prior incident at the school that was retold by a mother on a mother's forum that has gone missing. I can't open the cache, but captured the result that google yielded:


Seabloke's letter (the part in bold - I bold it coz it's what MAKES ME MAD STILL):

I write with concern over an incident during a recent St Joseph's Church Kindergarten outing where my 6-year-old (K2) daughter was a participant. I mean no malice and do not wish to be antagonistic. I hope you read this in a neutral light as I attempt to present the events in as factual a manner as I can.

On the 26th Nov '09, the school organised a holiday program - ice-skating at Kallang Ice World. I left my daughter in care of the school at 8am to board the school bus with the other participants for this activity.

At 11am, I received a call from one of the teachers, Ms Ho, saying my daughter was "pushed, fell, hurt her chin, and bleeding". She went on to say she had to call me as she needed instructions as to whether I wanted the teachers to send my daughter to a clinic downstairs, or to wait for me at the skating rink. According to Ms Ho, the wound was bleeding quite a fair bit, and will most probably require stitches.

As I was not there to assess the injury, I based my decision on what she described and left instructions to have my daughter sent to the clinic immediately while I made my way to the venue. I requested through Ms Ho that the doctor call me before any procedures were done on my daughter. Our phone conversation ended with her acknowledgment of my request.

As I was caught in heavy traffic, I rang Kallang Ice World at 11.20am to find out if my daughter had been sent to the clinic and if there was any update on the situation. The staff of Kallang Ice World knew nothing and could not answer any of my queries. I asked to speak with Ms Ho.

Shortly after, Ms Ho came on the line and reported that my daughter had not been sent to the clinic because they "did not have her particulars". She went on to say the bleeding "had stopped".

I arrived at Kallang Ice World at around 11.30am. Upon entering the premises, I noticed my daughter was sitting in the crowd by herself, with no teacher within her immediate vicinity. It was only when I approached that Ms Ho ushered me towards my daughter. When I neared, I observed her chin was still dripping blood!

By my estimate, having been called at 11am by Ms Ho, that the accident must have happened some minutes prior, and as the present time was already 11.45am, my daughter would have bled for about an hour or more. To be fair, my daughter did tell me Ms Ho used tissue and held it at her chin in attempt to stop the bleeding.

She was subsequently left to sit alone until I arrived.

When I asked, none of the teachers had gauze or tissues with them, so I carried my daughter to the skate rental counter and requested some tissues. Upon my questioning, I was told by the counter staff that none of the staff at Kallang Ice World is first-aid trained.

While I tended to my daughter's wound at the rink, only Ms Ho approached me to ask how she was.

Some other customers there showed concern, and through my conversations with them, I found to my utter dismay that the children were not in any protective gear (helmet, knee/elbow guard etc) at all. These are 6-year-olds, who have never been exposed to skating, and practically all of them were learning for the first time.

It also came to my understanding that 37 children signed up for the program when the consent form capped the number of participants at 24. No one could say for sure how many of them were on the rink at any given time. To make matters worse, none of the teachers could tell me with any certainty either.

The Principal of St Joseph's Church Kindergarten, Miss Angeline Wong, was at a distance and did not approach me.

I went up to her and expressed my disappointment at how the whole thing was being handled, and how my daughter was not given due care.

Miss Wong was quick to emphasise my daughter "fell on her own".

This is contrary to what Ms Ho first told me when she called to say that my daughter was pushed.

Miss Wong went on to say they applied antiseptic cream. She could not explain when I asked why the bleeding was not stopped prior to applying the cream.

I found out from my daughter that in order to contact me, the teachers had to get my number from her, an injured, bleeding, scared, and freezing girl.

As a very concerned parent, I would like some answers, and some assurance that corrective measures will be taken to address the following issues.

Please note I am not on a witch-hunt, and do not accuse or seek any person's reprimand or dismissal over this matter. I desire to understand the established practice and procedures in handling such incidences and how the school could improve on it in future. I do hope you do not treat my queries lightly.

1) Could there be a lapse in supervision at the skating venue since none of the teachers is able to give an accurate account of the accident?

2) Why did the teachers not have the relevant student particulars on hand so that my daughter could have been taken to the clinic sooner? Was the information not given to the school for precisely such circumstances?

3) Why did the school teachers not bring along a first-aid kit? Did they assume there would be access to one at the venue? The staff I spoke with could not provide me with such (though a Mr Chang How I spoke with later confirmed there is a first-aid kit within the premises).

4) Why was there no conscientious effort to ensure my daughter remained safe after the fall? When I arrived she was seated among the crowd of children, with her chin still bleeding. No constant pressure was applied to the wound until the bleeding stopped, and no adult accompanied her to monitor her condition and provide comfort during the wait.

5) In evaluating the venue for school activities, was it discovered that Kallang Ice World has no trained First-Aider? Was this a priority especially so since none of the teachers present were known to be First Aid trained? Is not a first aid trained teacher or assistant required to be on duty on any school outing?

6) Is it not the school's responsibility to ensure a safe environment for children's activities? In selecting Kallang Ice World, did the school insist that the children be provided with and don appropriate protective gear?

7) No matter whose fault it is, fact remains there is an injured child. Would common decency not dictate that as much care as possible be given to him/her? From what could be observed, there seems to be a lapse in care.

8) Did the teachers realise that during the entire time my daughter sat waiting, she was in fact cold, in pain, bleeding, and hungry? The sandwich she brought with her was only half eaten, as the other half was stained with blood from her dripping chin.

Notwithstanding signed consent and indemnity forms, the school does bear responsibility in due care and diligence. These should be extended and exercised to the maximum capability of the school and her staff, who assumes such responsibility by virtue of accepting enrollment of said child in the school and during school activities. In my observation of the sequence of events and the responses I have received from your school staff, I fear to conclude that insufficient care and help was rendered.

To iterate, I do not seek to lay blame, but to seek answers to the above and hope that the appropriate remedies are made. Of course accidents do happen, and it is only fortunate this accident is not more serious than it is. It's how the situation is dealt with after the accident that is at issue here. Perhaps it is likely that should this incident be taken as a learning experience, such situations could be averted in future?